Gate-valve.



A. WATSON.

GATE VALVE APPLICATION FILED AUG. 27, 1909.

948,359. Patented Feb. 8, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

A? x l y w [MI \X IT IEEEEEQ 62 Z262 INJ PI A; WATSON.

GATE. VALVE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 27, 1909.

948,359. Patented Feb. 8, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALEXANDER WATSON, 0F BEACHMONT,

MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD T0 BYRON C. LEAVITT, OF DUXBUBY,MASSACHUSETTS, AND ONE-THIRD T0 WILLIAM C. MITCHELL, OF MALDEN,MASSACHUSETTS.

GATE-VALVE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 8, 1910.

Application filed August 27, 1909. Serial No. 514,846.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER VVA'rsoN, a citizen of the United States,and resident of Beachmont, in the county of Suffolk and State ofMassachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Gate-Valves,of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to gate valves of the type wherein the valves areseated and unseated by a translating or sliding movement substantiallynormal to the valve seats, and in which when the valves are unseated themovement of translation is in a plane substantially parallel to thevalve seats, the valves being drawn and an unobstructed passage forfluids provided through the valve casing from valve seat to valve seat.The valves of this general type heretofore contrived have not foundtheir way into use at least to any recognizable commercial extent, forthe reason that the machine work required to shape their workingsurfaces presents such difficulties that the cost of construction, froma commercial standpoint, is prohibitive.

My improvements are characterized by a valve wherein the successivemovements peculiar to the above described type are secured by astructure so simplified that it may be manufactured with a few easymechanical operations and thus at a cost which enables the manufacturerto market his product at prices attractive to the consumer. Theprinciple upon which my improved valve operates, resides in therelationship between two oppositely facing elves and in their collectiverelation to the valve carriage which incloses the valves loosely, 2'. c,with ample clearance; the valve carriage being provided with a pair ofwedges which cooperate respectively with complemental pairs of inclinedbearing surfaces upon the valve bodies.

Referring to the drawings which illustrate an embodiment of myinvention, Figure 1 shows, partly in section and partly in elevation, avalve embodying my improvements; and Fig. 2 is a vertical section online zz of Fig. 1.

A is the valve casing having opposed valve seats a with lateral valvebearings a adjacentthereto upon which the edges of the thus clearlywithvalves B bear and which assist in guiding the valves to their seats.The casing A is also provided with a retiring chamber A into which thevalves B and their carriage C are withdrawn when the valve is open. Uponthe interior of the casing A and extending up into the retiring chamberA there is formed a guide or guides c for the valve carriage C. Thevalve carriage is provided with lugs 0 which engage the guides c ateither side, the guides serving to hold the valve carriage in itswithdrawn position between the two valve seats. The valves B comprisedisks having the valve faces Z1 adapted to engage with the valve seats aand on the inner side of each disk there is an extension 22', theextensions of the two valves being preferably fitted so as to slidetogether in telescopic relation as shown in Fig. 1. Also upon the innerside of each valve disk 7) there are formed inclined bearing surfaces 72one sloping inwardly from the valve casing and the other slopingoutwardly from said casing. The preferred mode of forming theseoppositely inclined bearing faces is to turn two oppositely inclinedconical surfaces on the valve body. By so doing, any portion of theseconical surfaces may serve as an actual bearing surface to operate thevalves in the manner presently to be described, and the two valves maythus be left to turn at will while preserving their telescopic relation,a condition which assists in preserving the proper condition for tightseating of the valves. With respect to the disks and inclined bearingsurfaces, it is preferable that the two valves should be identical instructure and dimensions.

The valve carriage C in its preferred form, consists of an annularcasing which surrounds the inner portion of the valve, and its essentialparts are a pair of valve closing wedges c and a pair of valve openingwedges 0 the wedges 0 having surfaces to engage the inwardly slopingbearing faces of the valve and the wedges 0 having surfaces to engagethe outwardly sloping bearing faces of said valves. These wedges are soarranged that there is a clearance between them and their complementalbearing surfaces and one pair of wedges at a time engages with saidcomplemental sloping hearing faces upon said valves. The wedging actionof the pair of wedges 0 draws the two telescopic valves away from eachother so that each valve disk is moved to its seat, whereas the wedgingaction of the pair of wedges 0 draws the two valves toward each otherremoving the disks from the seats.

The valve carriage C engages with the valve carriage guide a formed onthe interior of the casing A and is attached to any suitable movingmember as for example the valve stem D, which, by moving the valvecarriage up and down by means of the hand wheel H, causes the carriagewedges c or as the case may be, to engage with the inclined bearingfaces on the valves. The movement of the valves in response to thewedging action may be very slight. All that is needed is a movementsufficient to remove the valve disks from their seats enough to allowsaid valves to be lifted into the retir ing chamber without scraping ordragging on the interior of the casing.

in operation, supposing the valve to be closed, the valve stem D islifted. This lifting movement first disengages the valve closing wedgesc from their complemental bearing faces, then brings the valve openingwedges 0 into contact with their complemental inclined bearing faces,then, by the action of these valve opening wedges the two valve disksare turned from their rspective seats being guided in this movement byreason of their mutual telescopic relation and also by means of thevalve bearings (4 against which the edges of the disks bear. TV hen theopening movement of the valves, which is normal to the valve seats, iscomplete, continuation of the lifting movement lifts the valve carriageand the valves into the retiring chamber, thus leaving an unobstructedpassage through the valve casing from valve seat to valve seat. Theclosing movement is the reverse of that above described. First, thevalve carriage is moved by the valve stem to carry the valve disks totheir position opposite their respective seats, that is, to the pointwhere the disks rest on their lateral bearings [4. Continued movement ofthe valve stem forces the valve clos ing wedges 0' into contact with thecomplemental inclined bearing faces, forcing the valves to their seats.

It will be clear that the valve carriage and its wedges can becontrolled by a single mechanical operation and that the machine worknecessary to construct the working parts is of so simple and inexpensivea na ture that the valve can be readily and inexpensively constructed.

lVhat I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. The combination of a casing provided with opposite valve seats, and aretiring chamber; a pair of oppositely-facing telescopically relatedvalves, each provided with an inwardly sloping bearing and an outwardlysloping bearing; a valve carriage movable into and out of said retiringchamber and provided with a pair of out-wedges to cooperate with theinwardly sloping bearings of the valves, and a pair of inwedges tocooperate with the outwardly sloping bearings of the valves, themechanical relation between the wedges and bearings involving aclearance such that one pair of wedges at a time engages with thecomplemental sloping bearings, and means, such as a valve stem, toactuate the valve carriage.

2. The combination of a casing provided with opposite valve seats, aretiring chamber and a valve carriage guide; a pair of oppositely facingtelescopically related valves, each provided with an inwardly slopingbearing and an outwardly sloping bearing; a valve carriage movable upand down on the valve carriage guide, and provided with a pair ofout-wedges to cooperate with the inwardly sloping bearings on thevalves, and a pair of iii-wedges to cooperate with the outwardly slopingbearings on the valves, the mechanical relation between the wedges andbearings involving a clearance such that one pair of wedges at a timeengages with the complemental sloping bearings, and means, such as avalve stem, to actuate the valve carriage.

3. The combination of a casing provided with opposite valve seats, aretiring chamber and a valve carriage guide; a pair of oppositely-facingtelescopically related valves, each provided with an upper in wardlysloping bearing and a lower outwardly sloping bearing; a valve carriagemovable up and down on the valve carriage guide, and provided with apair of outwedges to cooperate with the upper inwardly sloping bearingson the valves, and a pair of iii-wedges to cooperate with the loweroutwardly sloping bearings on the valves, the mechanical relationbetween the wedges and bearings involving a clearance such that one pairof wedges at a time engages with the complemental sloping bearings, andmeans, such as a valve stem, to actuate the valve carriage.

4. The combination of a casing provided with opposite valve seats, aretiring chamber and a valve carriage guide; a pair of oppositely-facingtelescopically related valves, each provided with a doublecone bearing;a valve carriage movable up and down on the valve carriage guide andprovided with a pair of out wedges to cooperate with the inwardlysloping cone bearings; and a pair of in-wedges to cooperate with theoutwardly sloping conebearings, the mechanical relation between thewedges and bearings involving a clearance such that one pair of wedgesat a time engages with the complemental conebearings, and means, such asa valve stem, to actuate the valve carriage.

5. The combination of a casing provided with opposite valve seats, aretiring chamber, valve bearings and a valve carriage guide, a pair ofoppositely-facing valves comprising disks adapted to engage with theirrespective valve seats and extensions in telescopic relation with eachother, each of said valves provided with an inwardly sloping bearing andan outwardly sloping bearing, a valve carriage movable up and down onthe valve carriage guide, and provided with a pair of out-wedges tocooperate with the inwardly sloping bearings on the valves and a pair ofin-wedges to cooperate with the outwardly sloping bearings on thevalves, the mechanical relation between the wedges and bearingsinvolving a clearance such that one pair of wedges at a time engageswith the complemental sloping bearings, and means, such as a valve stemto actuate the valve carriage.

6. The combination of a casing provided with opposite valve seats, aretiring chamber, valve bearings, and a valve carriage guide, a pair ofo positely-facing valves comprising disks at apted to engage with theirrespective valve seats and extensions in telescopic relation with eachother and each of said valves provided with a double cone-bearing, avalve carriage movable up and down on the valve carriage guide, andprovided with a pair of out-wedges to cooperate with the inwardlysloping cone bearings, and a pair of iii-wedges to cooperate with theoutwardly sloping cone bearings, the mechanical relation between thewedges and bearings involving a clearance such that one pair of wedgesat a time engages with the complemental sloping bearings, and means,such as a valve stem, to actuate the valve carriage.

Signed by me at Boston, Massachusetts this 2th day of August 1909.

ALEXANDER WATSON. Witnesses:

ROBERT GUSHMAN, JOSEPHINE H. RYAN.

